arrival at Aguas Calientes

Saturday June 30th 

   Yesterday morning was spent touring some of the Inca sites surrounding the city of Cuzco. A re-visit to Saqsayhuaman allowed a more in depth visit to the ruins. Our Intrepid guide Luis, who is a local, seemed very knowledgeable in the history of the various sites. From Saqsayhuaman we went to Quengo, a largely destroyed ceremonial site used for burials and ritual sacrifices. A few km further down the road was Pukapukara, a learning centre as well as a checkpoint and observation post screening movement into the area approaching Cuzco. A final stop, Tambomachay, was used as a relaxation area and bathing area by the Incan aristocracy.

  Returning to Cuzco we spent the afternoon exploring parts of the city that we had so far missed.

  Arriving at a church some 5 blocks to the west of the main plaza we found ourselves in the middle of a major religious celebration at the church of  San Pedro. A band was playing outside the church, while inside, two relatively small andas (floats carrying religious icons) were being slowly carried down the main isle to the front of the church in preparation for a processional through the town.

 I finished off the afternoon with a tour of the Cathedral, actually 3 interconnected buildings constructed over a period of 200 years. Like the other key Catholic buildings, the Cathedral was built on the ruins (destroyed by the Spaniards) of Incan palaces with the materials re-used to build the foundations.

  With altars of wood covered in sheets of 22k gold and pure silver it was an impressive sight.

 A large portrait of the Last Supper in the Cathedral showed Christ and his disciples dining on a meal of roast guinea pig and local fruits and vegetables. With more to describe than I can possibly fit into this blog, anyone interested should do a google search.( La Catedral, Cuzco or Cusco) Interestingly the locals pronounce the name of the town, Cosco [ no relation to the supermarket!]

 5pm Aguas Calientes.

 The route towards Machu Picchu took us by hired van to Ollantaytambo. There we boarded a Peru Rail train for the trip here. With 5 coaches pulled by a diesel engine, the train was amazingly comfortable with large side windows and panoramic windows in the ceilings, allowing a wide angle view of the route. Taking roughly 90 minutes to cover the 45 km route, the track paralleled the meandering route of the river. On both sides the mountains provided a most spectacular backdrop. I was surprised to learn that rail is the only way to access the area- there are no public roads into the town.

  We arrived in Aguas Calientes ( Hot waters) shortly after 2:30pm. Looking somewhat like a poor man’s version of Banff the town has a Central Square and a main street, with dozens of smaller streets spreading like a spider web up and down the hills. The main street is divided by the railway tracks which continue on a further 10km to a hydro-electric plant.

Every other building is either a restaurant or a souvenir store, and every restaurant seems to have the same menu- pizza, Peruvian food, Mexican food. A little overpriced compared to Cuzco, however the portions are big enough to split between two.

  The people on the streets are either tourists returning from or waiting to visit Machu Picchu, or they are porters, relaxing in the sidewalk cafes and bars after having completed their 3 or 4 day treks. Surrounded by bags, sometimes larger than themselves, one is amazed at the stamina of these individuals. While the tourist trekkers typically carry no more than 6km in their packs, the porters are carrying up to 30km of gear including tents, cooking supplies etc.

9:30pm

 Tonight we had dinner with our guide Luis, who filled us in on the details for tomorrow. The alarm is set for 5:25am and we should be at the main gate of the ruins by 7am or shortly thereafter. A guided tour should last approx. 2 and ½ hours which will allow an additional 3 to 4 hrs. to explore sites and buildings not covered on the tour, before catching the 3pm train back to Ollantaytambo.

 The hotel, being only a few hundred meters from the river is bathed by the soothing sounds of the rushing water. Regrettably, it is also only 20 feet from the railway tracks so the room vibrates every 30 minutes as a train rolls by. Hopefully there is a curfew on pissing off tourists and that the trains will stop soon.